The ranking by international research center StartupBlink places the city ahead of Bogotá, Santiago, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires.
Medellín is leading Latin America in startup creation (business ventures that use technology and innovation to develop products or services with high growth potential), reaching a figure of 10.9 startups per 100,000 inhabitants. This is according to the latest Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026 published by the international research center StartupBlink, which ranks the top 30 cities in Latin America in this field.
The report indicates that Medellín surpasses regional capitals and financial hubs such as Bogotá (7.3), Santiago (6.3), São Paulo (6.1), and Buenos Aires (2.5), making it the fastest-growing startup ecosystem in South America during this period and the fastest-growing ecosystem in Colombia.
“This result is the outcome of a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, which the District Administration, universities, city institutions, and the private sector have worked hard to build together. Our ecosystem has recorded 41% growth over the past two years, placing us at number 162 among more than 1,100 cities analyzed. This is how we are fulfilling one of the goals we set at the beginning of this administration: to put Medellín back on the global map of entrepreneurship and innovation,” said the Secretary of Economic Development, María Fernanda Galeano Rojo.
These results are not a matter of chance; they are the market’s response to a Science, Technology, and Innovation District policy that promotes entrepreneurship, investment, and talent through digital skills training programs such as Estud-IA, and business strengthening initiatives like Poténciate and Ruta del Emprendimiento, which has supported 1,210 technology-based business initiatives. They also include acceleration strategies such as Medellín Next and the Shared Services Center, which benefited 79 startups over the past year, as well as Ruta N’s StartIA platform, which includes more than 700 startups, 280 investors, and 47 organizations offering entrepreneurship support services.
“Today, the numbers prove it: the work we are leading is delivering concrete results. Medellín’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is growing and consolidating itself as a driver of transformational change that opens new opportunities for startups. Greater business density reflects more expansion, more development, and above all, greater confidence in local talent. In the end, the most important thing is that science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship become real tools that improve people’s quality of life and help build a city with more opportunities,” said Ruta N Director, Carolina Londoño.
Medellín ranks as the second city in Colombia by number of startups, with 692 mapped and active companies. Key sectors include Foodtech, where the city ranks 20th worldwide, making it its strongest and most competitive vertical, followed by Energy & Environment, Transportation, and Fintech.
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